The #1 Sign You are a Mother of Several Very Young Children

Okay, maybe it’s not the #1 sign, but it’s up there.  If you’ve ever experienced this, you know what I mean:

You feel slight anxiety pulling into the parking lot of your grocery store/Target/Walmart, etc.  You drive around stalking for just the right parking spot, hoping and praying that you can find it.  You start to sweat a bit when you think you might not see it.  You’re trying to plan what in the world you will do if you don’t…  And then – Hallelujah!  You see it, and feels a little bit like a miracle.

The double cart.  In a cart corral.  With a parking space nearby.  I always get antsy as soon as I see it.  Hurry into my parking space and run for the cart before some other mom can snatch it from me.  I love the double cart.  With it, shopping nirvana is possible.  I can go into the store with an infant in an Ergo and my two “big” girls in the car cart, and all is right with the world.

P.S. Another sign that you are this mother is when you, who are normally so calm and certainly nonviolent by nature, feel a slight urge to throttle the sweet little grandma who is pushing her one grandchild in a car cart.  And he’s 12.

 

 

A Birthday Preview

Somebody turns two on Friday.

We had a little birthday party for her with my husband’s family while visiting with them this past weekend.  She was so excited, walking around all day leading up to the party telling everyone, “It my buh-day pahdy!”

She wasn’t quite sure what to make of it when everyone sang “Happy Birthday” to her, and she was a little hesitant at first about blowing out her candle.  But once she figured out what she was supposed to do she got it done and looked very proud of herself.

She had been waiting all day for this…

Miss got a big laugh out of the chocolate on her face.

I was a little nervous about how Miss would do in the face of seeing her sister get all kinds of cool presents when she wasn’t getting any for herself.  She’s in a “scream first, think later” phase right now, so I thought she might totally melt down.  Happily, she did not.  She did have a few moments of jumping around with “Ooh, I want that, I want that, can I have one of those?” but listened well when I explained things to her and didn’t scream or otherwise throw a fit.

I think she really was excited for her sister, and Lass shared her new loot quite nicely.  Sisters rock.

Even with all the gifts, this thing was the big hit of the evening.

Lass’s actual birthday is on Friday.  We will do lots of fun stuff and have a small party just with our family in the evening.  Instead of cake they’ll get to make their own ice cream sundaes.  I’m so excited.  I love when my girls have birthdays.  I love to see their excitement and joy.  Of course I also get all nostalgic and marvel at how big they’re getting and how all of their baby days seem to have flown by.  And I say it, every time, “I can’t believe she’s __!”  I can’t believe she’s almost two.

Twilight

I love the time right between day and night.  When the sun begins to sink and the heat of the summer day fades enough that cozy jackets are warranted.  When the littlest is in bed and the two big girls are excited because they know they’re up past their bedtimes for a special treat, playing with cousins, sitting around a campfire, toasting marshmallows and eating s’mores.

Miss is protesting the roasting of her marshmallow.

She prefers to eat the s’mores components separately and without the marshmallow being cooked and gooey.

And then there’s Lass…

I think this is like a little piece of heaven.  Special time with my husband and two older girls, a toasty fire as the twilight gives way to a cool night, and chocolate.  Yep.  Heaven.